icon-nav-help
Need Help

Submit your question to our team of health care professionals.

icon-nav-current-questions
Current Question

See what's on the mind of the community right now.

icon-conf-speakers-at-a-glance
Meet the Team

Learn more about our world-renowned team.

icon-nav-archives
CWD Answers Archives

Review the entire archive according to the date it was posted.

CWD_Answers_Icon
June 22, 2006

Mental Health

advertisement
Question from Benicia,California, USA:

My 17 year old son has had type 1 for almost five years. He has behavior patterns that are almost bipolar (instant anger he can’t control, can’t stop fidgeting and has trouble keeping focused). Are other disorders, such as ADD, bipolar, obsessive-compulsive sometimes associated with diabetes and how can we deal with a medical system that separates mental conditions from things like diabetes?

Answer:

From: DTeam Staff

Children and teens with diabetes have just the same risk as every other child for the diagnoses you mention, bipolar, ADHD, etc. The risk is no greater, no smaller. The health care system is a mess. There have been recent associations with medications for mental health conditions with increased glucose. To that, I say: “treat the diseases and treat the glucose.”

LD